1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to riding toy vehicles and is especially adapted for use by young children.
More specifically, the toy vehicle is designed for picking up objects such as blocks and the like from the floor as the vehicle is driven around by the child during play.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,659, issued June 28, 1977 is directed towards a push type toy pick-up vehicle for children and the like. This toy vehicle resembles a truck and is provided with a paddle wheel formed of soft spongy material to provide friction and yieldability as the paddle wheel rotates to engage objects on the floor and scoop them up into a receptacle in the rear of the vehicle body.
The toy vehicle of the present invention is directed towards a new and improved riding toy wherein the vehicle is driven by the rider over a floor or other playing surface and which is capable of picking up blocks, balls and other small objects from the playing surface and moving them into a holding section at the rear of the hollow body of the vehicle. The vehicle is styled with a dress resembling a large frog and the objects picked up move through the large open mouth of the frog. A pair of rotating flippers or pick up members are driven independently of each other by the front wheels of the vehicle as it is moved along the surface and these flippers propel the objects rearwardly into a rearward portion of the hollow vehicle body.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved riding toy vehicle for children and the like.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a toy vehicle of the character described adapted for picking up small playing objects such as balls, blocks and the like from the floor or other playing surface as the vehicle is driven around the floor by a child.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved toy vehicle which is designed to resemble an animated creature such as a large, open mouthed, frog.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved toy vehicle of the character described wherein one or more rotatable pick up members resembling flippers of a frog are mounted in the forward open mouth of the vehicle body to rotate and move objects from the floor surface into a rearward receptacle in the vehicle body as the vehicle is moved around the floor.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved vehicle of the character described having novel means for retaining any objects picked up and which means resemble the broad tongue of the frog-like creature which the vehicle is styled to resemble.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved toy vehicle of the character described which is pleasing in appearance, relatively economical to produce, fun to play with and which provides action for young children.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved toy vehicle for picking up small objects from the playing surface which also includes a noise generating device for making a sound like a frog or other animal creature that the vehicle is styled to represent.